Stabilizing apparatus for aeroplanes.



O. A. BUDIG.

' SV'IABILIZING APPARATUS FOR AEROPLANES. A PPLIOATION FILED MAY 2, 1913.

1,083,347 Patented Jan. 6, 1914.

i f Witnesses lluvezytp'r L. wfi'am 0560' fill/him Bud/5,

A Curing)! tion,

care imam some, or LILLE, FRANCE.

STABILIZING APPARATUS FOR AEROI'LANES.

2 '0 all who-m it may concern Be it known that I, OTTO ALBIN Bums, I

a subject of the German Emperor, residing at Lille, in France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stabilizing Apparatus for Aeroplanes, of which the following is a specification.

' The object of this invention-is to provide an automatic stabilizing appliance for aeroplanes, which is actuated by means of a vacuum created by the movement of the aeroplane.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is an end view of part or the stabilizing appliance, and Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a side eleval partly in section, showing the appliance tted to a biplane.

The appliance illustrated comprises a curved hollow sustaining plane 1, which may consist of wood or sheet metal and is rigidly fixed to the flying machine, at an angle di ering from that of the main planes. Fig. 3 shows this small plane arranged as a separate adjunct to the machine, but it may be used instead of one of the ordinary planes, for example instead ofa tail plane. The interior of the said plane communicates with the interior of a cylinder 2 containing a piston 3, the latter being connected by a rod 5 to an elevating plane 4, so that the posit-ion of the latter varies with the position of the piston. The plane 1 has in its convex under-surface a slot 6, which extends nearly throughout its width, and may be about 5 mm. wide-or less. Except for this slot, the walls of the plane are air-tight.

The piston is also made airtight by inserting a bellows between the same and the cylinder head.

It is well established'that the vacuum and pressure in the cavity of a bearing plane vary, within limits, with the speed and the inclination of the plane. It is also known that the suctional effect is greater than the wind-pressure. What applies to the whole surface also applies to a line, so that it the slot referred to is placed in what inay be called a suction line, the vacuum in the interior of the plane will depend on the speed and the angle of the air pressure.

It has been .found that the suctional efiect over a certain line .varies as the square of the speed, and at a wind velocity of 22 m. per sec. and inclination of 10 of the hollow Specification of Letters 921mm.

Application filed my 2, 191a.

Patented J an. s, 193%.

Serial No. 765,066.

lane has the value of 10 gr. per sq. cm. t 15 inclination the suction is nil, at the same speed, and then increases proportionally with the angle. At about 10 the highest value is obtained. Thereafter the value falls fairly quickly.

In still air, at a constant speed, the piston, in conjunction with a spring acting on the rudder, holds the elevating plane or rudder in a predetermined position. Any reduction of speed allows thepiston to move forward,

and adjust the rudder more or less for descent. The aeroplane accordingly, tends to regain its'speed, and the rudderis, raised again. The action is reversed when the speed increases.

If the inclination of the plane is altered by impact of wind, so that for example the angle of the air pressure on the plane is increased, the vacuum is reduced, the piston moves forward, and the rudder counteracts the lifting effectof the wind. If the wind acts from above, the suction increases and the rudder increases its l fting power. But this increase does not exceed a certain limit,

the hollow plane being so fitted to the machine that if a powerful gust from above causes the angle of 10 to the airpressure to be exceeded, the rudder deflectsthe machine downward. I

If an elevating rudder at the rear is to b operated by the piston, it must be arranged F receive the wind-pressure on its back surace.

According to the position of the pivot of the rudder, the sensitiveness thereof to changes of speed can be made more or less complete.

der tends to hold same horizontal, or nearly.

pistons therein, all the cylinders communieating with a single hollow planeya'nd the pistons being connected to each other.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is r 1. Automatic stabilizing apparatus for aeroplanes, comprising a concavo -convex hollow plane having a slot therein, a cylinder communicating with the interior of said hollow plane, a piston in said cylinder, and means for connecting said piston to a rudder.

2. In an aeroplane the combination oi a concavo-convex hollow pinne ar-rangedwith The spring connected to the rud- I may use a plurality of cylinders, with Y oewe? its convex Wall downward, said conirex Wall In Witness whereof I have signed this haying a. slot whereby the wind of the maspecification in the presence of two Witchine creates a vacuum in said hollow plane, messes.

a cylinder communicating with the interior OTTO ALBIN BUDIG. 5 of said hollow plane a, piston in said cylin- Witnesses:

der, an elevating rudder, and means connect- ALBERT RIGAUD,

ing saidpiston to said rudder. IIENRI MASTAING. 

